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L. Y. SPEAR SUBMARINE BOAT.

APPHCATION rmzn FEB. 5. ms.

Patented Sept. 9, 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l- I avw eoz L. Y. SPEAR.

SUBMARINE BOAT.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 5. 1916.

Patented Sept. 9, 1919.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3- 5 mJeM toz LAWRENCE YonK srnn'n,

COMPANY,

OF GROTON, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR T0 ELECTRIC BOAT OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW J JERSEY.

. SUBMARIN 1E BOAT.

Specification of Letters Patent. i Patented Sept. 1919.

Application filed February 5. 1916. Serial No. 76.285.

To all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that I, LAWRENCE YORK SPEAK, a citizen of the United States, residing .at Groton, county of New London, and

- State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Submarine Boats; and ll do hereby declare the following to bee full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will'enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and.use the same.

This invention relates to submarine boats and is directed to the provision of animproved construction whereby the element of danger incident to the operation of the boat is materially reduced.

The cardinal object of the invention is to devise such an improved construction that when damage from any cause occurs to any portion of the vessels hull the flooding which results maybe localized in that port'ion and the members of the crew may pass from the flooded part to a part isolated dividing the interior of the vessel-into a plurality of fOI'G-tllldfifi) subdivisions or compartments,.

and by interposing between every two adjoining ,compartments' a smaller compartment utilizable as a vestibular thoroughfare.

In other words, viewing the invention in this particular aspect, any embodiment thereof should include a series of major compartments and a series of minor compartments arranged in alternation with said major compartments. Preferably each of these smaller compartments is in communication by means of a door or the like with each of the major compartments between which it is located, and preferably is an air-lock. Each airlock (by which name each of said minor.

compartments will'be hereinafter referred to) is in the present instance established in part by a transverse bulkhead. Each of such transverse bulkheads extends athwartship, and is shaped to conform peripherally to the interior section of the part of the hull across which it extends.

In addition, each of the air-locks is contemplated as possibly equipped with a hatch for permitting if desired the escape of the crew through said hatch and from the vessel. in the present embodiment, howare detail views showing ever, certain only of said air-locks are so equipped, a hereinafter described. Preferably all of said air-locks which are thus equipped with escape hatches are individually associated with duplicate manipulable means adjacent each air-lock for facilitating an employment of the latter and its hatch for escape purposes. In the present embodiment means are disclosed whereby any one of the air-locks, even one of those not equipped as just described, may be employed for" isolating a particular flooded major compartment and for permitting the crew to passfrom' such flooded compartment to another similar'but unflooded one, preliminary to an endeavor to escape.

. The primary conception being thus de-' fined, other and'lesser objects and aims of the invention, together "with the advantages inherent, will be in part obvious and in part specifically referred to in the following description.

In the accompanying drawings, showing one of the various embodiments of the invention as at present preferred, Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section taken through a submarine, equipped as above described, this view being generally diagrammatic; and Figs. 2, 3 and 4:

bulkhead construction, Fig. 2 being a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 being a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, and Fig. 4.- being a section on the line H of Fig, 3.

Referring to Fig. '1, the reference numeral 5 indicates the hull of the submarine vessel, the numeral 6 indicates the superstructure thereof and'the numeral 7 indicates the customary conning tower.

The interior of a submarine in general practice has heretofore been divided in a fore-and-aft direction into a plurality of a possible type of distinctive spaces separated from each other merely by transverse partitions.

Usually interiorly of a submarine,rthere are five of these spaces, such as a forward compartment or torpedo room 8, an aft compartment or propeller-shaft room 9, a forward-midship or crew compartment 10, a

central-midship or operating compartment 11, and an aft-midship compartment or .en-

gine room 12.

Arranged in alternation with the five major compartments 8,9, 10, 11 and 12, in accordance with the present invention, are air-locks as shown in Fig. 1. The air-locks 13 and the forward air-lock 14 are provided with fore-and-aft openings and doors for each of said openings, the aft air-lock 14 7 having only one opening and door. Figs. 2, 3

and 4 show a desirable construction and one preferably adopted for each of the. air-locks, all the doors opening outwardly from the air-locks so that inthe event of a major compartment becoming flooded the presence of the water therein will tend to hold tightly closed the doors separating the interior of said major" compartment from the interior of each adjoining compartment.

If the forward-midship compartment or the aft-midship compartment be flooded,

members of the crew in such flooded compartment may by the means above described enter the central-midship compartment. If

' the forward compartment or aft compartment be flooded, the central-midship or op.- erating compartment may likewise be entered; in the first case by way of the forward-midship compartment and in the second case by way of the aft-midship compartment. If the central-midship or operating compartment, and even one other of the midship compartments, be flooded, the crew may similarly enter either the forward oraft.

compartment. It will thus be seeinthat unless the vessel be so damaged that a major compartments are simultaneously \or in quick succession flooded, the crew may seek refuge either in the central midship or\opcrating compartment, in the forward compartment, or in the aft compartment. For reasons appearing more clearly hereinafter the central-midship, forward and aft major-1 compartments will be from now on referred thus equipped, in the conning tower 7, as indicated at 7. The just mentioned handoperated means will be referred to more in detail when the equipment of each operating compartment is hereinafter described.

Still referring to the diagrammatic Fig. 1, it will be seen that there are located in each of the forward and aft refuge compartments controlling adjuncts, at least sufficient to empty the main ballast tanks in an attempt to bring the injured vessel-to the surface. A pump, motor, air manifold and marker buoy are, for example, shown in duplication of the pump 15, motor 16, pumpmanifold 17 and marker buoy 18 customarily located in the central operating compartment. In each of the three refuge com artments also may be located a collection 0 airflasks 19 and an air-flask manifold 20. The flasks may be charged through a pipe-connection 21 and from the ordinary compressors 22 driven by the ships engines 23. Although as indicated in connection with each air-flask manifold 20 the same may have branched therefrom a plurality of cockequipped pipe connections,various ones leading to the ballast tanks, another or both other distant air-flasks, etc., for manipulation to make a preliminary effort to raise the vessel, only one pipe-connection from each air-flask manifold is shown in detail as leading to an overhead pipe-connection 24 that has a conduit leading into each of the airlocks. As an additional safe-guard, the lurality of cock-equipped pipe-connections shown in association with each pump-manifold 17 may also variously lead to such tanks and said overhead pipe-connection 24. The conduit leading into aft air-lock 14 is provided with an ordinary controlling cock 24 as indicated in Fi 1, but each of the other conduits, in accor ance with the showing of Figs. 2 and 3, is provided with a rotary valve 24 which may be opened and closed from either of the two major compartments on either side of the air-lock having such valve associated therewith. This valve construction is disclosed to satisfy illustratively the situation wherein a member of the crew is compelled to use any one of Fig. ls four forward air-locks to ass from a flooded compartment on one side thereof to a compartment on the other side thereof. For if air pressure be communicated into said airlock by opening from the interior of the flooded major compartment the valve 24*, to

equalize the pressure on the door between said flooded major compartment and the airlock whereby such door may be opened, and if then the man enters said air-lock, closes the door last mentioned and opens-the door separating said air-lock from the other major compartment and enters the latter, he must be provided then with a means .for closing the valve 24, and for thereafter conrefu trolling said valve provided the air-lock just employed as described is the forward airlock 14: and therefore later used for escape purposes.

A drain-pipe-connection 25, preferably open to the sea by any well known type of outlet check valve, is arranged as shown in Fig. 1 (see also Fig. 3) so that it may act to drain. any of the air-locks when the proper cock carried by the connection 25* is opened and at the same time air-pressure from the connection 24 is as above described admitted to the air-lock to be drained. Thus adjacent air-locks may be drained from the in terior of any of the major compartments. Tn the case of any of the air-locks 13 or of the forward air-lock 14, this drainagemight advantageously be conducted by a member of the crew already safe in a refuge compartment, preliminarily to another member of the crew leaving an adjacent flooded compartment and entering the air-lock. In the case of either of the air-locks 14, such a drainage means, operable from the particular refuge compartment in which refuge was sought only to find that escape from the vessel must be attempted,permits a utilization in the usual manner of one escapehatch no matter which of the three operating compartments has thus been serving as a It will thus be seen that one of the features of the invention involves the provision of a submarine boat having a plurality of refuge compartments therein such that the crew of the boat may take refuge in any one of these compartments in case of injury to the hull of the vessel making it dangerous or impossible to remain in other portions of the vessel,

each of these several refuge compartments being provided with all of the operating mechanism which it is necessary to manipulate in order to exhaust every eflort to cause the boat to rise to the surface in event of injury to the hull causing the floodin or partial flooding of other portions of theiioat. Thus, it has been seen that each ofthe refuge compartments is preferably provided with a supply of compressed air and controlling devices operated from within the compartment whereby the compressed air may be admitted to the ballast tanksof the boat to expel the water therefrom; and witha pump and operating mechanism whereby the pump may be connected to the ballast tanks and to the sea for pumping the water out from the ballast tanks. Furthermore, it has been seen that each of the refuge compartments is preferably provided with means for releasing a marker buoy or similar device suitably attached to the exterior of the hull of the boat, and preferably that there are provided escape hatches for each of the several refuge compartments of the boat so that if the.

crew, on being driven into one of the refuge perhaps to be the bulkheads employed for dividing the boat into a plurality of compartments igs. 2, 3 and 4). It will be appreciated that the bulkheads employed in a submarine boat .must possess great strength because of the pressure to which thebulkhead would be subjected if a compartment of the boat were flooded while the boat was submerged to a substantial depth. The preferred form of bulkhead consists of a vertically curvilinear wall-member 26 as shown extending transversely across the hull of the boat and peripherally shaped to correspond to the interior section of the part of the hull 5 across which it extends, and of a substantially vertically arranged girder 2'( extending across the member to stiffen and reinforce it, the

girder being secured at its upper end, and

the member 26 at its periphery, to the hull 5. By this construction, ample strength may be secured with comparatively low weight and at the same time the construct-ion is well adapted to the formation in connection with each bulkhead, of the air-lock above described.

I claim 1. A submarine boat having a hull divided interiorly by bulkheads into compartments including a plurality of refuge compartments, the refuge compartments being individually equipped with controlling adjuncts whereby, from any one of the compartments so equipped, attempts may be made to raise the vessel. 1

2. A submarine boat having a hull divided interiorly by bulkheads into compartments including a plurality of refuge compartments, the refuge compartments being individually equipped with controlling adjuncts whereby, from any one of the compartments so equipped, attempts may be made to raise the vessel, and escape hatches accessible from the individual refuge compartments.

3. A submarine boat having a hull divided interiorly into a plurality of major compartments accessible to the crew, and minor compartments utilizable as vestibular thoroughfares arranged in alternation with the major compartments.

4. A submarine boat having a hull divided interiorly into a plurality of major compartso equipped, attempts may be made to raise the vessel.

5. A submarine boat having a hull divided interiorly into a plurality of major compartments accessible to the crew, and minor compartmentsv utilizable as vestibular thoroughfares arranged in alternation with the major compartments, and means for increasing the pressure within the minor compartments and for draining water therefrom.

6. A submarine boat having a hull divided interiorly into a plurality of major com partments accessible to the crew, and minor compartments utilizable as vestibular thoroughfares arranged in alternation wlth the major compartments, and means for increasing the pressure within the minor compartments and for draining water therefrom, said means being operable from the adjacent major compartments.

7. A submarine boat having, a hull divided interiorly into. a plurality of major compartments accessible to the crew, and minor compartments utilizable as vestibular thoroughfares arranged in alternation with the major compartments, several of the major compartments being individually equipped as refuge compartments with controlling ad-' juncts whereby, from any one of the compartments so equipped, attempts may be made to raise the vessel, and means for increasing the pressure within the minor compartments and for draining water therefrom.

8. A submarine boat having a hull divided interiorly into a plurality of major compartments accessible to the crew, and minor compartments utilizable as vestibular thoroughfares arranged in alternation with the major compartments, several of the major compartments being individually equipped as refuge compartments with controlling adjuncts whereby, from any one of the compartments so equipped attempts may be made to raise'the vessel, and means for increasing the pressure within the minor compartments and for draining water therefrom, said means being operable from the adjacent major compartments.

9. A submarine boat having a hull divided interiorly into a plurality of major compart- -bulkhead therein formed of ments accessible to the crew, and minor comartments utilizable as vestibular thoroughares arranged in alternation with the major compartments, some of the minor compartments being provided with escape hatches.

10. A submarine boat having a hull divided interiorly into a plurality of major compartments accessible to the crew, and minor compartments utiliz'able as vestibular thoroughfares arranged in alternation with the major compartments, some of the minor compartments being provided with escape hatches, and means for increasing the pressure within such minor compartments and for draining water therefrom.

11. A submarine boat having a hull divided interiorly into a plurality of major compartments accessible to the crew, and minor compartments utilizable as vestibular thoroughfares arranged in alternation with the major compartments, some of the minor compartments being provided with escape hatches, and means for increasing the pressure within such minor compartments and for draining water therefrom, said means being operable from the adjacent major compartments.

12. A submarine boat having a hull, a bulkhead therein formed of sheet-metal shaped to correspond to the cross-sectional shape of the interior of the hull, a girder extending vertically across the bulk-head to reinforce 1t, the girder and bulkhead being shaped to provide a chamber and having openings therein affording access to the chamber, and doors for closing said openings.

13. A submarine boat having a hull, a sheet-metal shaped to correspond to the cross-sectional shape of the interior of the hull, means for securing the peripheral portions of the bulkhead to the walls of the hull, a girder of box section for reinforcing the bulkhead extending across the bulkhead and forming therewlth a chamber to which access may be had through an opening provided with a door, and a hatchway leading from the chamber to the exterior of the boat.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature.

LAWRENCE YORK SPEAR. 

